3 Reasons You Should Not Pay a Red Light Camera Ticket?

In 2008 the American economy began to meltdown. At that same time, cities across the country started to feel the pinch in their budgets. It was around this time that the snake oil salesmen started approaching city councils, especially in Florida, with a solution. Their solution was American Traffic Solutions. This company convinced city councils all over Florida that they have a win win solution to their problem. They said they could reduce traffic accidents, let the police focus on non-red light ticket issues and we could all make a lot of money in the process. Of course, to the public, they said it was strictly about making intersections more safe. Like most things in this world, it sounded too good to be true and it wasn't. First, Traffic accidents have not gone down, in fact, they have gone up in some intersections. Second, after $50,000,000 worth of tickets were mailed, the cities are barely breaking even and losing money in some cases. Citizens are outraged and business owners are loosing money because people avoid areas with these cameras.

Our Lawyers have been doing their part as well. We have been fighting red light camera tickets from the beginning which I will discuss more below. Some cites have begun to question the wisdom of these cameras. There have been Bills proposed in the Florida Legislature to ban the cameras. There are other Bills the propose banning tickets from making a right turn on a red light. Unfortunatley, the companies that profit from our citizens money have hired lobbyists and are fighting very hard to keep the status quo and even expand the program further. This isn't the first or the last article you will be seeing about this issue. But because I get the question posed to me almost every day "should I pay my red light camera ticket", I will tell you why the answer is absolutely NO.

REASON #1 | GUILT:

As most of you know, we always tell clients never to pay a traffic ticket because of the points it will put on your license and the consequences that will follow. That analysis does not apply for the following reason. If you get a Red Light Camera Ticket in the mail, it does not carry points. This was one of the ways the camera ticket companies subverted the Constitution and avoided a legal battle they would have lost. That would sound like good news to you if you got a camera ticket, but don't be fooled. It is true that if you pay the camera ticket within 30 days you will not get points, but you will be found GUILTY. What does that mean in practical terms you ask? You do not get points, but on your driving record it will show that you got a ticket for going through a red light and you were admitted guilt. This has at least two negative consequences. First, your insurance company will still see that you plead guilty to a red light ticket, regardless of the points. Thus, they will feel quite justified in raising your insurance rates and you can't do anything about it. Second, the next time you get a ticket and the judge looks at your record, he will see that you admitted guilt for another ticket. He is much less likely to give you a break with that on your record.

REASON #2 | MONEY:

If you just pay the red light camera ticket, it is usually around $158. That assumes you got the ticket on time and paid it promptly. More often than not, people forget to pay it or don't even get it in the mail. If you don't get it or pay it, you will receive a UTC in the mail. A UTC is a Uniform Traffic Citation and now its much more serious. The UTC is the yellow traffic ticket most of us are familiar with and it comes from the State of Florida, not the paper you get from the for-profit private company. Now it can effect your license, registration and driving privileges. The cost of this ticket is around $290 and if you don't pay it there are more severe consequences. Of course, you can always fight both tickets and that's exactly what we tell all of our clients.

REASON #3 | FIGHT BACK:

You can fight back. There are many legal ways to beat a red light camera ticket. The law is still in flux on these tickets, but we can and do get them dismissed. Very often the person who is supposed to come to court to testify about the camera does not show up. Even if she does show up, she doesn't always have her paperwork in order. And assuming she does, the judge has to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that you were in that intersection when the light turned red. Here are a few more of the legal reasons we get these tickets dismissed:

Where there adequate Signs warning drivers of the cameras?

Was the yellow light enough?

Was there a 30 day warning period in the city?

Is the photo of the driver clear enough to prove it's him?

These are just a few ways we fight red light camera tickets. So like we tell our clients who get other traditional tickets, DON'T PAY IT - FIGHT BACK.

Jason Diamond is the Founding Partner of the Traffic Ticket Team. Jason has been practicing law in Florida for over 18 years. His Attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience and have handled over 1,000,000 traffic tickets in Florida. Jason has given legal ticket clinic seminars throughout Florida ranging from topics on "How to Beat a Florida Traffic Ticket" and "What to do When You Get Pulled Over for DUI in Florida." If you would like Jason to come to your place of business and do a 30 minute clinic, you can contact us 24/7 at (954) 967-9888, Jason@TrafficTicketTeam.com to arrange it.

Comments

The copmany I work for said they where taking the $75.00 dollars ftom my pay check. I told them that I wanted to protest the ticket that the car behind me was going to run into me. you can see in the video that they where going fast and they ran the light. what should I do . I was in their work truck. I fo not think that is right

Posted @ Wednesday, September 04, 2013 11:25 AM
by Lucas

Hi well i had gotten a ticket but it was in my moms car and theyre charging her and so she looked up online and she found all of these cites saying do not pay the citation that theyre fake tickets and they just want youre money.. so we didnt pay and that was in july.. we recently got a letter saying we have a failure to appear in court and the fine is still $490 but what can we do we dont live in LA we cant appear in court ??

Posted @ Saturday, October 05, 2013 2:53 PM
by Rachel

I have timed the yellow on camera lights and they are far shorter than those on non camera lights. Also why is it that fleets owned by businesses are exempt from this law?

I rec'd a red light video ticket in FL. THe video shows my car clearly running through a red light after it turned red. You can not see who is driving at all. I thought I had no choice but to pay it. The problem was that I don't get my mail every day. Mail today is 99.9999% ads that annoy me and fill up my recycle bin. By the time I opened it I was alredy late and a few days later I got a notice that my license was suspended because of that ticket. So I had to pay almost $300.00 and then go through the license reinstatement fee and process. I felt trapped and angry and I wish I had called the Traffic Team, or at the very least read their informative web site. Now it's too late, or is it? Can something like this be reversed?

Posted @ Thursday, January 02, 2014 12:45 PM
by Michael W Szymanski

I think that if you get a ticket for running a red light, you should pay the consequences. Laws are made for a reason, if you run the light, you put lives in danger. People in Florida drive like crazy and over the speed limit, so they should pay every penny until they learn what the laws are. People don't yield, people don't stop at stop signs, people don't use turn signals... ITS TIME TO CHANGE!!!

Was at red light for 10 - 12 seconds then all the sudden an ambulance was coming, I went into ramp into 95 , was in far right side first car, should I get a red light camera ticket?

Posted @ Friday, November 28, 2014 7:54 AM
by calvin

out of no where 3 tickets in the mail one red light and 2 speeding tickets that happened back in October it's now December... I live in Rio rancho NM I'm sure I have more in the mail what can I do

Posted @ Monday, December 15, 2014 10:15 AM
by Kirk

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Posted @ Monday, December 22, 2014 3:19 AM
by Albatran

I just got a notice that my license is suspended due to two red light tickets is there anyway I can get help paying them or can I take them to court but there passed due

Our guarantee is limited to non-criminal tickets and only if you have had no tickets in the last two years, costs/fines are additional. Some of the services described above and on this website are provided by other law firms and/or third parties not related to Diamond, Kistner & Diamond, the Traffic Ticket Team or its principal attorney, Jason Diamond. The information on this website and its links is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice that should be relied upon in any way. Submitting your contact information does not mean you’ve retained our services. By submitting your information and/or clicking on any of the links herein, you acknowledge that you have read, understand and agree with all the terms of this disclaimer. Before you hire some random traffic ticket clinic, call the traffic ticket team that can help you with your traffic ticket.